Haunted
by YappiChick
Summary: Cortana hated the dark. Set in my "Fac Fortia et Patere" universe. Chief/Cortana. AU


**This takes place a couple of months after the epilogue of "Fac Fortia et Patere". If you haven't read it, then this fic is probably going to make absolutely no sense. This was written for patriot_jackie for the trick or treat meme. As always, feedback is epically awesome! :)**

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**0320 hours, November 3, 2558  
****_UNSC Infinity_**

Cortana hated the dark.

After spending so long -too long- in the belly of the _Dawn_, away from light -and hope-, Cortana had made it her goal to avoid the inky blanket of oppression whenever it was possible.

It had been easier on Requiem to hide from the darkness; crews had worked around the clock for weeks to get the _Infinity _back in working condition. Sunlight had spilled through the windows of the bridge and those rooms that were fortunate enough to have a glimpse to the outside; the dual moons had offered light even in the heart of the night.

But now, floating through the stars on the _Infinity_, no matter where she went there was only artificial light; the void of space offered none of the warmth of Requiem's sun.

It was ridiculous really. Cortana knew that her fears were unfounded. She would never be surrounded by the darkness of the _Dawn _ever again.

Perhaps, if that was the only issue the former AI had to contend with, Cortana would have been able to listen to her logic. But there were the whispers that spoke to her only in the dark: the ghosts of Reach, the phantoms of _The Pillar of Autumn_, the apparitions of those who had fallen during the Battle of Installation-00.

Still, none of them compared to the rumbles of the demonic Gravemind. His voice would pervade her mind, taunting and sadistic, as Cortana floated on the fringes of consciousness. More than once, she had woken up with her body trembling and her voice hoarse from calling John's name, willing him to save her from her subconscious captor.

She slept with the lights -all of them- on in her tiny private quarters. It was something she hadn't yet confided to John. How could she explain her irrational fear to the man who had faced -and overcame- all of the horrors the universe had to offer?

Despite her embarrassing concession to her fear, it didn't keep the nightmares away. Often, she worked until the point of exhaustion so she could stumble into her bed and snatch a few hours of dreamless sleep before the shadows of the past crept in.

But tonight, she knew, there would be no sleep for her.

Six years ago to the day, John had respected her request to leave her behind on _High Charity _where she had foolheartedly believed she could outmaneuver and outmanipulate the Gravemind.

She had been wrong.

Her encounter with the Gravemind had propelled her into the clutches of rampancy. She had barely held onto her solution, clinging to an impossible promise made by an impossibly stubborn Spartan. He had kept his word, but the scars were too deep to fully heal.

Earlier that morning, John had seen Cortana in the debriefing. If he had remembered what day it was, he hadn't made mention of it. Cortana hadn't known if she was grateful or hurt; being left behind was the most traumatizing events that had happened to her, but it wasn't something she was ready to talk about either.

It was the dead of night now, only a skeleton crew were up and working. She walked the halls of the _Infinity_, forcing herself to ignore the memories of what happened on _High Charity_. She wished there was something she could do to distract herself, but she had finished the last of the reports hours ago.

Cortana made her way to the mess hall. It was one of the few rooms that stayed brightly lit, no matter the hour in the day. Due to the late hour, there were only a couple of soldiers sitting in the middle of the room...

...and a single Spartan alone at his table.

What was he doing here?

John sat in a too-small chair in the corner of the room. His helmet sat on the table next to his left hand. He didn't turn in her direction as she entered the large room.

Cortana crossed the room and stood across from him. Now, he did look at her. She nodded towards the metal cup in his hand. "I hope that's warm milk. It'll get you sleeping again in no time."

He ignored her greeting. "It's been six years."

So. He did remember.

Cortana slid into the chair that was across from him. She wondered if he saw the tension in her body. "Not really a day that I want to remember." She tried to keep her voice light.

"Is that why you haven't been sleeping?"

Cortana looked at him suspiciously. She had done whatever she could to make sure that John wouldn't find out about her poor sleeping habits. Her first instinct was to come up with some sort of sarcastic retort and hide behind it. But, when she saw the concern in his eyes, her defensiveness fell away.

That didn't stop her from crossing her arms. "How did you find out?"

To her surprise, he shifted his gaze from her inquisitive look. The grip around his cup tightened.

"John?"

His eyes moved back to her. "Doctor Wozniak came to me earlier yesterday."

Cortana raised an eyebrow. As much as she valued the genetic researcher on her team, Wozniak was particularly protective of Cortana. "You know how she is, Chief. She doesn't want anything to happen to the first human hybrid in the universe."

He didn't look convinced. "I went to your quarters last night. At 1015 hours."

1015 hours. That was right before she had woken up from another of her nightmares.

She felt the warmth of a flush from her cheeks. "How much did you hear?"

"Enough."

She closed her eyes in embarrassment. How loudly had she been calling his name to save her from anguish of being trapped with the Gravemind?

Drawing a deep breath, she forced herself to open her eyes. False bravado was certainly in order. She shrugged her right shoulder. "You can't really blame me for having trouble sleeping. It was an ominous experience, after all."

He shook his head slightly. "You should have told me."

She held back a self-deprecating laugh. If she contacted him every time she had a nightmare, the Spartan would rarely get a full night's sleep. "It's nothing, John. I'm just going-"

"Contact me the next time." His voice was firm. Then, to soften his demand, he added, "Please."

Cortana's purple eyes met his blue ones. This was important to him, she realized. "You might not get much sleep," she warned.

"I'm used to it."

His quiet admission caused Cortana to look at the man in front of her. It was then that she noticed the circles under his eyes and the exhaustion on his face.

He spoke before she could say anything. "You're not the only one who has ghosts haunting them."

Without thinking, she reached over and grabbed his free hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Maybe they were more human than they would like to acknowledge -even to themselves.

"You'll contact me the next time?" he prompted.

"If you do the same," she replied. When it looked like he might argue, she held up a hand, "Those are my terms. Take them or leave them."

"I'll take them."

Cortana relaxed as she moved her hand back to her side of the table. She wasn't naive to think that all her sleeping problems were resolved, but it was reassuring to know she wasn't alone to face the whispers of the past. "Are you ready to go to sleep?"

"No."

A faint smile of relief passed over her lips. She wasn't ready to be alone quite yet. Though she was in a room of light with the man who wanted to protect her, she knew that the darkness loomed.

"Me neither."


End file.
